Refrigerating cabinet



- p i 1936. J. E. GLOEKLER 2,037,413

REFRIGERATING CABINET Filed July 31, 1954 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l APFIEE 14, 9 J. E. GLOEKLER 2,037,413

I REFR IGERATING CABINET v I 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed July 51, 1954 IN @TOR.

A TTORNEY,

Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING CABINET John Edward Gloekler, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application July 31. 1934, Serial No. 137,723

12 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in refrigerating cabinets for preserving and exhibiting perishable articles, as meats, dairy products, or

the like, and is somewhat generally similar to.

5 that of my prior Patent No. 1,954,475.

In such cabinets access to the upper compartment interior is usually by means of one or a plurality of laterally sliding doors, mounted in the rear sloping wall. It is usual to provide a series of such doors, one for each longitudinal section of the refrigerator, arranged in alternating overlapping and underlapping relation. In opening any one of such doors, use of a next adjacent door and access to its cavity is rendered impossible. Likewise the double arrangement of doors is cumbersome and requires a degree of manual strength to manipulate.

In my invention these difficulties are overcome and the refrigerator is greatly improved by so constructing and mounting the doors for approximately vertical adjustment, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings showing one preferred form of the invention:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a refrigerator cabinet provided with the improvement;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on the line IIII of Fig. 1, showing the door raised to closing position;

3 Fig. 3 is a partial similar view showing the door lowered to open position;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 5, showing the lifting device at one side;

Fig. 5 is a partial face view of the cabinet, partly in section on the line V-V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is asectional detail view showing the spring-retracted winding 'drum for the lifting means; 7

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view showing the guiding and lifting bar stud;

Fig. 8 is a similar view, in elevation:

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7, with the door in tilted or inclined position; i

Fig. 1.0 is a fragmentary detail View showing the upper end of the door-guiding slot;

Fig. 11 is a perspective detail View showing one of the pivoting bushings for the door supporting .stud.

The refrigerator cabinet illustrated herein is constructed in the same general manner as cabinets of standard construction. It provides a main food or other article containing chamber A enclosed within a double glass front wall 2, a

rear wall having vertically movable opening and closing doors 3, a flat top 4 and a bottom wall or floor 5 for the upper compartment.

The doors 3 when closed assume an inclined position in conformity with usual standard design of rear wall construction, as at 6, while the main rear wall 1 is vertical. The upper portion of the vertical wall 1 extends considerably above the bottom wall 5, underneath which is usually provided a sub-compartment B for storage.

Between the outer portion of rear wall I and its inner portion la; is a vertical cavity 8 between endmost guide plates 9, between which the door 3 is slidably mounted. Each door is provided with one or more window panes and a surrounding frame l0 having at each lower corner a guiding and supporting bracket ll.

Brackets H are each provided with an extension stud or shank l2. Such stud may be merely cylindrical, or in the preferable form is provided with flat sided guide faces 12a fitting in vertical slots I3 of the end plates 9.

Beyond each of said guides is a projecting grooved spool or other attaching device M for connection by the terminal loop I5 of each one of a pair of supporting cables I6. Each of said cables is wound around the spring-retracted drum l'l rotatably mounted on stud shaft l8 which is secured by set screw I 9 in bracket 20, one at each side of each door. Spring a is of any suitable form or arrangement, as by connecting its terminals with the fixed stud l8 and the drum [1 respectively.

ance cavity 2| of the rear wall between adjacent 7 doors, and are entirely concealed. Each door is provided at its top with a'handle 22 for raising, and lowering and a framing bar 23 extends inwardly to make closing contact by its lower tapered edge with the upper edge of the door when lowered, as in Fig. 3. I

At its bottom each door rounded buffer 24 of rubber or the like which engages underneath the inner tapered lip of bar 23 when the window is raised, as in Fig. 2, closing the cavity against entrance of any foreign matter. A supporting gasket 25 is laid around the supporting edge of the opening for the door, against which it rests when closed. Such gasket is of rubber, felt, or the like, facilitating cushioning, ensuring insulation, and avoiding noise.

In addition to the means for adjusting the door to raised or lowered position, I have also embodied means for positively locating the door in .its inwardly tilted raised position, and for preventing downward movement of the door from is provided with a 7 such position until it is first lifted out forwardly for vertical registering with the guiding slots l3. To such end the upper end of each slot is enlarged in circular clearance opening form, as at 26 Fig. 10.

The bar extension I2 having the fiat faces I20. is engageable at its elevated position with a pivoting bushing 21 having a slot 28, closed at the upper end and open at the lower. Bushing 21 is outwardly circular, for rotatable mounting in circular enlargement 26 of slot l3; When. the door is raised, shank I2 enters slot 28 as in Fig. 7,

its upper edge l2b limiting further upward move-- ment when at the position for inward tipping to closed position, as in Fig. 2.

In such inclined closed position shank I! will also assume the inclined position of Fig. 9, with its lower rounded edge I20 in bearing position- The.

against the rounded edge of opening 2-6. door is thereby positively supported, and may not be lowered until opened outwardly to a vertical position, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2.

As thus constructed, when the door is closed by lifting; its weight; is largely counterbalanced by the spring roller l-l, requiring little manual effort. When lowered, terminal guides l2 pass downwardly through slots l3, the weight of the door or sashreversing thedrum I! with storage of energy in the spring, by slight application of downward pressure.

The improved door construction enables independent operation of each individual door without interference with another.

.The door when lowered is entirely concealed; leaving a full opening access to the interior, and completely closes the opening when raised, with an attractive finished exterior.

What I claim is:

1 In a refrigerating cabinet as described, a rear wall having a vertical door receiving cavity; slotted guides at each end thereof having laterally enlarged terminal circular bearings, arotatable slotted bushing for each of said. bearings, and a door having at its opposite lower edge portionsa fiat sided guiding and limiting stud en.- gageable with the slotted guide whenv in register therewith and against the circular bearing when rotated with its bushing.

2. In a refrigerating cabinet as described, a rear wall having a vertical door receiving cavity, slotted guides at each end thereof having laterally enlarged terminal circular bearings, a rotatable slotted bushing for each of said bearings, a door having at its opposite lower edge portions a flat sided guiding and limiting. stud engageable with the slotted guide when in register therewith and against the circular bearing when rotated with its bushing, and counterbalancing means for the door.-

3. In a refrigerating cabinet as described, a rear wall having a vertical door receiving cavity, slotted guides at each end thereof having. laterally enlarged terminal circular bearings, a rotatable slotted bushing for each of said bearings, a door having at its opposite lower edge portions a flat sided guiding and limiting stud engageable with the slotted guide when in register therewith and against the circular bearing when rotated with its bushing, and a spring retracted drum having supporting connection with each of said studs.

4. Guiding and arresting means for the supporting studs of a vertically movable door consisting of a pair of vertical slotted guides each having an upper laterally enlarged circular bearing, a slotted bushing in each of said bearings, and a raising and lowering door having flat sided guiding studs movable through the slots and into the slotted bushing when the door is raised.

5. Guiding and arresting means for the supporting studs of a vertically movable door consisting of a pair of vertical slotted guides each having an upper laterally enlarged circular hearing, a slotted bushing in each of said bearings, and'a'. raising and lowering door having flat sided guiding studsmovable through the slots and into the slotted bushing when the door is raised and adapted to engage the circular bearing when the door is tilted at its uppermost position.

6. A cabinet provided with a lower vertical wall having a door receiving cavity provided at each end with slotted guides each having a terminalcircular bearing of a diameter greater than the guide slot width and a rotatable slotted bushing in said bearing, an upper inclined wall having an opening therethrough and a surrounding door receiving frame, and a door having at its opposite lower edge portions a flat sided guiding and limiting. stud engaging the slotted guide adapted tobe raised from the receiving cavity and then tilted over the opening of the inclined wall and in closing engagement with its surrounding frame and with the stud in arresting engagement with the circular bearing.

7. A cabinet provided with a lower vertical Wall having a door receiving cavity provided at each. end with slotted guides each having a terminal circular bearing of a diameter greater than the guide slot width and a rotatable slotted bushing in said bearing, an upper inclined wall having airopening therethrough and a surrounding door receiving frame, a door having at its opposite lower edge portions a flat sided guiding and limiting stud engaging the slotted guide adapted to be raised from the receiving cavity and then tilted over the opening of the inclined wall and in closing engagement with its surrounding frame and with the stud in arresting engagement with the circular bearing, and counterbalancing means for the door.

8. A cabinet provided with a lower vertical wall having. a door receiving. cavity provided with outer vertical slots for guiding the door vertically, said slots terminating in upper enlarged circular bearings each provided with a rotatable slotted bushing for arresting the door in an elevated tilted position, an upper inclined wall having an opening therethrough and a surrounding door receiving frame, and a door having at itsqlower edge portion flat faced studs cooperable with the guiding and arresting slots'and bushings adapted to be. raised from the receiving cavity and then tilted over the opening of the inclined wall to locate the studs in engagement with the bearings and the door in closing engagement with its surrounding frame.

9-. A, cabinet provided with a lower vertical wall having a door receiving cavity provided with outer vertical slots for guiding the door vertically, said slots terminating. in upper enlarged circular bearings each provided with a rotatable slotted bushing for arresting the door in an elevated tilted position, an upper inclined wall having an opening therethrough and a surrounding door receiving frame, a door having at its lower edge portion fiat faced studs cooperable with the guiding and arresting slots and bushings adapted to be raised from the receiving cavity and then tilted over the opening of the inclined wall to locate the studs in engagement with the bearings and the door in closing engagement with its surrounding frame, and counterbalancing means for the door.

10. A cabinet provided with a lower vertical Wall having a door receiving cavity provided with outer vertical slots for guiding the door vertically, said slots terminating in upper enlarged circular bearings each provided with a rotatable slotted bushing for arresting the door in an elevated tilted position, an upper inclined wall having an opening therethrough and a surrounding door receiving frame, and a door having at its opposite lower edge portions a flat faced guiding and limiting stud engageable with the guiding and arresting slots and bushings adapted to be raised from the receiving cavity and then tilted over the opening of the inclined wall to locate the studs in engagement with the bearings and the door in closing engagement with its surrounding frame.

11. A cabinet provided with a lower vertical wall having a door receiving cavity provided with outer vertical slots for guiding the door vertically, said slots terminating in upper enlarged circular bearings each provided with a rotatable slotted bushing for arresting the door in an elevated tilted position, an upper inclined wall having an opening therethrough and a surrounding door receiving frame, a door having at its lower edge portions a flat faced guiding and limiting stud cooperable with the guiding and arresting slots and bushings adapted to be raised from the receiving cavity and then tilted over the opening of the inclined wall and in closing engagement with its surrounding frame and with the flat faced studs in holding engagement with the bearings, and means for sealing the door receiving cavity when the door is in either position.

12. A cabinet provided with a lower vertical wall having a door receiving cavity provided with outer vertical slots for guiding the door vertically,

said slots terminating in upper enlarged circular bearings each provided with a rotatable slotted bushing for arresting the door in an elevated tilted position, an upper inclined wall having an opening therethrough and a surrounding door receiving frame, a door having at its lower edge portions a flat faced guiding and limiting. stud cooperable with the guiding and arresting slots and bushings adapted to be raised from the receiving cavity and then tilted over the opening of the inclined wall and in closing engagement with its surrounding frame and with the fiat faced studs in holding engagement with the bearings, means for sealing the door receiving cavity when the door is in either position, and counterbalancing means for the door.

JOHN EDWARD GLOEKLER. 

